Commercial bakeries often package baked bread in an overwrap, which is a plastic package that contains the bread. This overwrap may be the sole airtight packaging for the bread or it may be contained within a plastic bag tied with a twist tie or other closure.
The bread overwrap typically comprises a sheet of transparent polypropylene which must be sealed at both ends to retain freshness. In the past, the ends of an overwrap have been folded to a desired closure and then sealed in place by a bread overwrap machine. The loaves of bread are conveyed sideways through such an overwrap machine such that the wrap at the ends of the loaves would be sealed as the loaves were conveyed through the machine. Traditionally, the overwrap machine has used a heated mesh belt to contact the ends of the bread and packaging to fuse and seal the ends. More recently, the inventor herein has developed an overwrap machine in which uniformly cylindrical rollers have been used in place of the mesh belt to obtain a sealing of the ends.